Public support for Panamanian head of state Martín Torrijos has increased in the last year of his tenure, according to a poll by Unimer published in La Prensa. 57 per cent of respondents rate the president’s performance as excellent or good, up eight points since January. Torrijos—the son of Omar Torrijos, an army general who ruled Panama from 1968 to 1981—won the May 2004 presidential election as a candidate for the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) with 47.44 per cent of the vote. In 1999, Panama regained full control of the Panama Canal, the source of 10 per cent ...

President of Panama Martin Torrijos said on Tuesday that the opportunity has come for an exemplary government transition in the country. In remarks to journalist at the end of a meeting with president-elect Ricardo Martinelli, Torrijos said that the future administration will be informed of ongoing and future projects. He ratified the commitment to discuss "as productively and frankly as possibly" the country's problems as the current administration transfers power to the next, "so that Panamanians' expectations can be met." Martinelli referred to common views regarding economic growth and ...